Vergara and Statham in new action flick

The curvaceous star, who will soon be seen in Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills, is slated to appear in Heat alongside Jason Statham.

The high-octane thriller is a remake of the 1986 Dick Richards film of the same name. Not to be confused with the 1995 crime drama starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, the original features Burt Reynolds and Karen Young.

Set in Las Vegas, the film is based on the bestselling novel by William Goldman.

According to Variety, Statham will take on Reynold's role while Vergara will star as a friend of Nick's who also happens to be a prostitute.

The plot concerns Nick Escalante, an ex-soldier with a gambling problem who attempts to raise enough money to move to Venice, Italy. His plans go awry when he finds himself embroiled in a conflict with the Mafia.

The film will be directed by Simon West, whose previous credits include the guilty pleasure action thriller Con Air, and The Expendables 2, also starring Statham.

Interestingly enough, William Goldman, who wrote the screenplay for the original Heat, will also pen the remake.

Vergara is best known for her role as Gloria on the hit sitcom Modern Family but in recent years, the Colombian-born actress has appeared on the big screen in films such as New Year's Eve.

She has also voiced a number of animated characters in family-friendly fare like Happy Feet Two and Escape from Planet Earth.

The 40-year-old will next appear in The Smurfs 2 and the comedy Fading Gigolo, opposite Woody Allen, Liev Schreiber and Sharon Stone.